What a Green Card Actually Costs in 2026: Every Fee, Line by Line

There is no single “green card fee.” There is a stack of them, they depend on which route you are on, and several of the largest ones are not USCIS fees at all.

This page lists every charge, says who actually pays it, and flags the ones people budget for incorrectly. All USCIS figures are the current published fees — check the full fee table or the official schedule before you write a check, because a form filed with the wrong fee is rejected outright and sent back.

The forms, and what each one costs

The two free-when-bundled forms are the most commonly over-budgeted items on the list. Filing I-765 and I-131 alongside your I-485 costs nothing extra. Filing them separately later costs $1,150. If you are adjusting status, file all three together.

Three routes, three totals

Marriage to a US citizen, adjusting status inside the US

No USCIS Immigrant Fee — that one only applies to consular cases. See the marriage green card guide.

Marriage to a US citizen, consular processing abroad

The NVC fees are State Department charges, not USCIS ones, and they are billed separately through the CEAC portal. The $235 Immigrant Fee is paid after visa approval and before travel — it pays for producing the card itself.

Employment-based, through an employer

The PERM point is a legal rule people do not know: the employer must bear the cost of the labor certification process, including attorney fees for the PERM itself. It cannot be passed to the employee. The I-140 and later stages can be. See the PERM guide.

Self-petitioners on EB-1A or EB-2 NIW skip PERM entirely and pay the I-140 themselves.

The costs nobody puts in the spreadsheet

Attorney fees. Frequently larger than every government fee combined. Flat fees for a straightforward marriage case commonly run $1,500–$4,000; employment cases more. You are not required to use one, and many family cases proceed without — but a case with any complication is not the place to save money.

The medical exam. $200–$500 and not covered by most insurance, plus vaccines you may be missing, which can add several hundred more. Prices vary a lot between civil surgeons in the same city; calling three is worth the twenty minutes.

Translations. Every foreign-language document needs a certified English translation. A birth certificate, a marriage certificate and a police certificate at $25–$50 each adds up quickly for a family.

Travel. Consular cases mean a trip to the embassy, sometimes two, sometimes from another country. This is regularly the single largest line item and never appears in fee tables.

Refiling. A rejected filing is returned with the fee, and you file again — the cost is the delay, not the money. A denial is different and more expensive. See green card denial reasons.

Later renewals. A conditional card needs I-751 at $750 within the 90 days before the two-year card expires. A ten-year card needs I-90 at $465 to renew. Naturalization is $760.

Fee waivers

Form I-912 waives filing fees for applicants who meet any one of three tests: receipt of a means-tested benefit, household income at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or documented financial hardship.

It covers a broad set of family-based and humanitarian forms, including I-485 in many categories, N-400, I-751 and I-90. It does not cover most employment-based forms. Submit it with the application, not after — a form filed without either the fee or an approved waiver is rejected.

Separately, some forms carry a reduced fee rather than a waiver — N-400 has a reduced-fee option for applicants between 150 and 400 percent of the poverty guidelines.

How to pay, and how filings get rejected

• One payment per form. Do not combine forms on a single check. USCIS rejects combined payments.
• Online filing is cheaper where available — $50 less on I-130, $50 on I-765.
• Checks must be current. A check over six months old is rejected.
• Credit card payments use Form G-1450, one per form.
• Fees are non-refundable, including on a denial or a withdrawal.

That last point is worth sitting with. The $1,440 I-485 fee buys an adjudication, not an outcome.

Common questions

How much does a green card cost in total? For a marriage-based case adjusting status inside the United States, budget roughly $2,300 to $2,900 in unavoidable costs: $675 for the I-130, $1,440 for the I-485, and $200 to $500 for the medical exam. Employment-based cases run higher, though the employer pays most of it. Consular cases substitute State Department fees and the $235 Immigrant Fee for the I-485 fee.

Do I pay separately for the work permit and travel document? Not if you file them with your I-485. Forms I-765 and I-131 carry no additional fee when filed concurrently. Filed separately they cost $520 and $630.

Is there a fee waiver? Yes, on Form I-912, for applicants receiving a means-tested benefit, with household income at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines, or facing financial hardship. It covers many family and humanitarian forms; most employment-based forms are not waivable.

What is the USCIS Immigrant Fee? A $235 fee paid online after a consular immigrant visa is approved and before you travel. It pays for producing and mailing the physical card. People who adjust status inside the United States never pay it, which is the most common confusion about it.

Are fees refundable if I am denied? No. USCIS filing fees pay for adjudication, not outcome, and are not refunded on a denial or a withdrawal.